Living Land, Native Bees

Native stingless bees pollinate an estimated 85% of what people eat in the tropics and are the main pollinators of native forests — if they disappear, life on Earth changes with them. Panama holds an unusually wide diversity of these bees, yet deforestation, indiscriminate pesticide use, mining and simple lack of awareness have pushed many populations into crisis.

The idea grew from chef José's own upbringing in a small town in Coclé province, surrounded by medicinal and edible plants passed down by his grandparents. Concerned that this knowledge and Panama's edible biodiversity were fading as younger generations lost interest, he built this project as part of a wider "living laboratory" connecting food, science and ecosystem protection.

Eight families are already setting up their own meliponaries, with plans to reach specific national and international honey markets, and to develop native-bee tourism as an added income stream — turning trees into what the founders call "living piggy banks."